Captive Kate
by lee8995
Summary: This story is based after the season finale of Season Two. It is being told from Kate's perspective. I find Kate a fascinating character, so if you're a fan of hers, you will probably enjoy this story. There is both Jate and Skate. I am a fan of Jate but
1. Chapter 1

Kate woke up gasping for air. Where am I? She wondered.

As she looked around, little bits of memory flitted through her mind. She was in a darkened room with a dusty dirt floor. Little streams of light came in through an overhead vent showing her the emptiness of the cell she was enclosed in. All there was in the room was a lone mug filled with musky water she suspected had been drugged.

How else could she explain her lack of memory over the past several weeks? She knew she had been in the cell for weeks because each time she woke up she had scratched a notch mark into the wall to help keep her bearings.

Goodness, she was angry. She could not remember the last time she had been so mad – perhaps when the disgusting Marshall had caught her in Australia. No, not even then.

Perhaps she admitted to herself deep down that the anger was rooted in fear, but she much preferred the power of anger to the shakiness of terror.

The Others. Oooh, she would kill them if she could. Although she had been somewhat reformed since landing on the island, she could see herself becoming the person she was before when it came to dealing with the Others. She had killed before…she could do it again if it was necessary. And in this case it definitely was. 

But first, she had to get her strength back. She regularly drank the murky water they provided her, even though it knocked her out. When she was unconscious, they left her little scraps of food. Not enough to stay strong. Kate knew she needed to take action soon. The question was, what could she do?

She had never felt so helpless in her life. For just a moment she let that fear overtake her anger. Not fear for herself (no, she didn't care enough to fear for herself), but fear for Jack, Sawyer, and all her friends back at camp. They didn't deserve this. But, as she had learned long before, life isn't always fair. In fact, she thought, it almost never is. She learned that in order to get anywhere in life, you have to fight for what you want. What you need. Well, fight she would.

First things first, she needed to figure out where Jack and Sawyer were being held. She thought about the two of them for a moment, confused as always concerning her feelings. They both had their moments. They had both upon occasion made her smile, made her laugh, made her lust, made her wish things could have been different, and made her furious beyond belief.

Jack, with his God complex, she thought wryly. She was beginning to understand him a little better. He was a man with little care for himself – except for the fact he always had to be right. He was a doer. Most of the castaways worshipped at his feet. And she knew they had a right to feel that way about him. He had found them water. He had saved Charlie and bandaged countless others. He had comforted Rose- comforted most of them at one point or another. He had inspired hope in all of them. Basically, he was a natural born leader although he hated that role. 

However, he was special to her. Jack had given her a fresh start and had been a real friend. Kate knew Jack was confused about the state of their relationship. She had run away the first time they kissed. God, she had been so confused and her flight instinct had set in. She was still confused, but was making a little headway in the right direction. She knew she wanted another kiss. Jack said he didn't regret the first one! Well, first she had to get them out of there.

Her thoughts turned towards Sawyer. What a frustrating man! What a sexy, in your face, funny, annoying, hunk of a man. Sawyer could make her want to laugh and punch him at the same time. She found all of his nicknames and dry remarks amusing although she tried not to encourage him by laughing. Kate thought she understood Sawyer, at least to a point. She understood why he wanted everyone to hate him, and sympathized with him. She also knew that he was not nearly as bad-ass as he wanted everyone to think he was. In fact, he was quite sensitive inside.

Couple that sensitivity with those dimples, abs, and that quirky smile of his and you have quite a package. He was also a steamy kisser. She thought smoke had been coming out of her ears after that kiss he had forced on her. No, not really forced, she thought. She had definitely been a willing participant once their mouths had connected.

Even with all their chemistry, Kate most appreciated their friendly banter and the smile he could bring even under the worst circumstances. She could certainly use that now.

She needed to stop daydreaming! She needed a plan. Hmmm…

Well, it is kind of hard to plan when you're in captivity and have nothing to use as an aid for escape. She would just have to use her brain.

Kate suspected she was being video-monitored constantly in her cell. She knew the Others were more high-tech then they would want her to think. So, she would have to be very crafty.

She would pretend to drink the water and pass out nearer to the door this time. When they came to bring her food, she would surprise them.

It wasn't the most creative or ingenious plan, but what else could she do?

Careful to act as she normally did so not to arouse suspicion, Kate sipped the water in the corner of the cell, then spit it out when she was in a lying down position. Hopefully they would not see the puddle by her head. Kate had no idea how long she would have to fake sleep before they came with her food.

Ten minutes passed…45 minutes passed… Kate began feeling sore from staying in the sleeping position…finally after an hour and twenty minutes, Kate heard a key to her cell door enter the lock. She prepared herself for action. She was going to hit whoever came on the head with her water mug. As the door swung open, Kate stayed limp for a moment… waiting for them to fully enter the cell. She peeked through the corner of her eye and saw that her captor was facing away from her. Ok, she steeled herself. Here goes nothing! 


	2. Chapter 2

Kate burst into action. She grasped the heavy water mug in her hand and swung it with all her might at her captor's head. She heard him grunt in pain as he fell. Kate continued to hit him a couple times to make sure he was completely incapacitated. When she was satisfied he would cause her no more trouble, she rolled him over and searched him. 

Kate smiled in satisfaction as she found a set of keys. As she turned to leave, she heard a hint of a soft, mumbled sound. She leaned back over the fallen man, surprised to find he had been wearing a radio earpiece. The Others really were high-tech! Deciding to save the mystery of the Others for another time, she quickly removed the earpiece from the man and stuck it in her own ear, adrenaline coursing through her veins. This would give her a real chance to find Jack and Sawyer

Kate slipped around the door of her cell to a find long, narrow hall. She was trying to be as stealthy as possible. She considered the fact that she was pretty sure she was being video monitored, and decided she had to be both fast and stealthy. They would be coming for her soon.

Confirming her suspicions, Kate heard a voice through the earpiece alerting the guards to "Go find her! The girl is escaping." Kate felt like a sitting duck, not knowing where to go and knowing they could follow her every move through security cameras.

She decided that since the guards were already on their way for her, she might as well yell and see if either Jack or Sawyer responded. Perhaps they were close by.

"Jack! Jack, do you hear me? Sawyer?" She paused for a second, listening for a response.

After a couple seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity, Kate heard her name weakly called.

"Kate! We're over here" She felt the most profound sense of relief in hearing Jack's voice. Tears threatened to fall for a moment. He was alright! They were all right. She pulled herself together. She knew the guards were on their way.

Kate raced over to the cell door, fumbling with the keys. She yelled through the door, "I'm coming. Stand back for a second." Kate finally found the correct key and pushed the door forward.

Her eyes soaked in the sight of her two men. They both looked extremely scruffy and unkempt. She could see some dried blood caked to their clothes. They looked like crap, but were still the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

She raced forward and enfolded Jack with a huge hug while she flashed Sawyer a quick smile. It felt so good to be with them again. Her heart felt it would burst with relief and happiness. It was going to be ok.

"Freckles, it took you long enough." Sawyer drawled before stepping forward and patting her on the back.

"Kate, are you alright?" Jack asked her urgently while inspecting her closely. "How did you? …"

"We don't have much time," Kate interrupted him. "The Others are already on their way. They have us video monitored."

"We need to find their power source and switch off their power. Then they will be working blind." Jack planned. "We should separate and look for the source."

"We don't have time for that, Jacko!" Sawyer dissented. "I can hear them now. Let's run!"

Hearing voices approaching, Kate led the sprint down the narrow hall, not really knowing where she was going. She wished she could think of a better plan. She wished all three of them were up their normal strength. She wished …well, she wished they had never been caught in the first place.

"They're coming!" Sawyer hissed, looking behind his shoulder. Jack pushed the three of them into the closest room they could find to hide. It was completely dark. Breathing hard, the three of them sat as still as could be, listening to see if they were being followed. Kate focused on the sounds being transmitted over the earpiece. "They're not in their cells. They couldn't have gone far…search all the rooms."

"Let's get some light in here" Sawyer said as began to look for a switch.

"No!" Jack stopped him. "They will be able to see us through their security cameras if we turn on the lights."

"So, we just sit here waiting for them to find us? Is that your master plan, doc?"

"No, let me think for a second."

Kate reached for Jack's hand, trying to express her encouragement. Her mind was racing, thinking up plan after plan, though none of them seemed feasible. She heard Sawyer moving around the room, in search of something. She wished the two of them would get along better, although she understood their dissention.

Kate felt Jack's thumb caressing her hand and lost her train of thought. Focus, Kate! She had felt so trapped in the cell. She knew she wouldn't be able to last long caged. They desperately needed this escape to work although the chances of it succeeding were decreasing every second.

"So, Jacko. Maybe your power source idea might work after all. What do we have here?" Kate heard from Sawyer.

Sawyer illuminated a big control panel with his lighter. Jack released Kate's hand and crawled over to look at the giant panel.

"Good job, Sawyer." Jack whispered. "Let's see if we can disable this sucker."

Kate looked around the room for a tool they could use to break the power source. She saw a rather large shovel and wondered what it was used for. Probably digging graves, she thought darkly. Oh, well, it should work.

As Jack and Sawyer were messing with the buttons on the machine, Kate grabbed the shovel and slammed it against the panel with all her might. Then repeated the action over and over again as the machine began to hiss. Jack and Sawyer looked over at her with disbelief, but she just shrugged. "It worked," she told them dryly.

"You are quite the woman, Freckles." Sawyer smirked.  
"Let's just get ourselves the heck out of here." Kate replied. She didn't hear anything more on the earpiece. Killing the power source had put those out of commission as well. They would be going out blind. Who knew what was on the other side of the door? Perhaps the Others were just waiting for them to open the door so they could recapture them and throw them in those awful cells again.

Jack seemed to sense her uncertainty. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around so her face was inches from his. "It's going to be ok, Kate. I promise. I'll keep you safe." When he encircled her in a quick hug she thought she could hear his heart beating rapidly.

Kate reluctantly pulled away. It was time. Giving each of her two men one last glance, Kate pushed open the door …

* * *

Ok, I just realized how terrible I am at writing action. I promise it will get better when they get out of the Other's camp. Then I will really be able to focus in on the feelings and the romance (my favorite part!) Thanks for reading and reviewing. 


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